Opinion: Congress shows its idiocy

Congress, that nonessential, do-nothing legislative body of wealthy dimwits who are more interested in protecting their own power than in protecting America, has proven once again just how absolutely irrelevant they are as a group. It is proof positive than term-limits are desperately needed to drain that swamp.

Today, Congress unanimously designated June 2017 as Great Outdoors Month.

That’s right, folks. After what was probably hours of contentious, finger-pointing debate, our elected “leaders” finally decided Aug. 2 that it would designated June, which ended 32 days earlier, as Great Outdoors Month.

Gee, thanks!

What’s even more peculiar is that it wasn’t until June 22 that a single senator, Steve Daines (R-Mont.), even introduced Senate Resolution 199 three-quarters of the way through the month.

Really? The Demoplicans and Republicrats (they’re all the same these days) in Congress couldn’t end their partisan, childish games for 10 minutes over the course of six weeks to pass a feel-good resolution about the great outdoors?

I guess not enough palms were greased with campaign contributions to force the astute body into action before its members looked absolutely stupid acting in the second week of August to declare the month of June to be Great Outdoors Month.

According to the Washington Times, Congress worked all of eight days in April — an ideal time to debate the merits of a June Great Outdoors Month.

Really, these people in Washington must be exhausted. No wonder they are taking most of August off as well.

Why? Because campaigning for the 2018 mid-term elections begins in earnest Sept. 5. Members of Congress will need to save their strength for all the back-slapping, arm-twisting extortion it takes to “earn votes.”

I can sit here all day long and bash Congressional members for being stupid. But, with a recent Quinnipiac University poll showing Congress has a dismal 10 percent approval rating — down from 15 percent a year ago — maybe all it takes to find the real culprits who allow this to nonsense to continue year-after-year-after-year is for Americans to step up to a mirror.

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Well Greg…make a statement, any statement and someone will defend the opposing position. In fact, you are right, the politicians need term limits! I suggest two terms of four years. The first four give them a chance to earn their second terms by doing useful things! I get what you were pointing to here. Matt says they said June WAS GOING TO BE. Big difference between that and WHEN it became a reality…no?

Matt is referring to Trump’s Proclamation on May 31st. But a presidential proclamation does not carry much weight. A Proclamation does not include the force of law unless it is authorized by our Constitution or Congressional statute. Here is a quote about Proclamations from the Congressional Research Service Report (Library of Congress) No. 95-722-A “Proclamations in most instances affect primarily the activities of private individuals. Since the President has no power or authority over individual citizens and their rights except where he is granted such power and authority by a provision in the Constitution or by statute. The President’s proclamations are not legally binding and are at best hortatory unless based on such grants of authority.” http://www.llsdc.org/assets/sourcebook/crs-exec-orders-procs.pdf.

Trump’s proclamation was issued on May 31st. Congress introduced a bill designating June 2017 as Great Outdoors Month 3-weeks later on June 22nd, which was promptly referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Almost 6-weeks later, on August 2nd the Committee referred the resolution back to Congress where it was then voted on and passed. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-resolution/199/text

It was nice of Trump to issue a Proclamation at the last moment on May 31st naming June 2017 as Great Outdoors Month and it may have helped give our industry some needed press exposure. But Congress dragged their feet for 3-weeks till June 22nd to introduce a bill initially, and then went on to ignore, or maybe argue about it, but not vote on it until August 2nd. I’m not sure how their minds work to make them think it still mattered at that point. But they were able to finally pass a bill!